Magnesium Supplement

The Health Benefits of Magnesium

Magnesium is an important mineral used for both industrial and nutritional purposes. In industry, magnesium is used to build parts for airplanes and automobiles as well as other applications where corrosion resistance is valuable. This mineral is equally valuable in nutrition. Virtually every cell in the human body uses magnesium and it affects over 300 different enzymes. In fact, there is no mineral used by more cells or systems within the human body. Magnesium plays an important role in maintaining nerve impulses and nerve function, regulating heart rhythm and keeping bones strong. How can you get enough? Read on to find out the health benefits of magnesium supplement. Plus: Test your supplement IQ...

How Does Magnesium Work?Magnesium is extremely important to heart health, as it is directly involved, along with calcium and potassium, in regulating the rhythm of the heart. In fact, deficiencies of any of these important minerals can result in irregular heart beat, instantly raising the risk of heart disease.

Magnesium powers the beat of the heart and is involved in keeping blood pressure steady. It also helps the body recover after a heart attack by getting the heart back to a normal rhythm, inhibiting blood clots, and widening arteries to allow the healthy flow of blood to the body.

Not only is magnesium supplement beneficial for the heart, diabetics may also benefit from a vitamin program including magnesium.

This mineral plays a significant role in the burning of carbohydrates and how it affects the body’s use of insulin.

In fact, a research study out of Johns Hopkins University found that people with low magnesium levels in the body were 94% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with the highest levels.

Persons who have or are at risk for osteoporosis may also benefit.

Magnesium significantly affects calcium metabolism as well as the hormones that regulate calcium in the body, and about half of the body’s magnesium is stored in bone as it is combined with calcium and phosphorous; the other half of the body’s stores are found inside cells of body tissues and organs.

Magnesium supplement should be a part of any bone-strengthening formula, to help you build healthy strong bones that won’t become porous and fragile, as in osteoporosis.

How Can I Make the Most Out of Magnesium?The RDA for magnesium is 280 mg for women and 350 mg for men. Much higher doses are used to prevent and treat the various conditions mentioned above, usually ranging from 400-800 mg depending on the condition.

Although magnesium is found in a broad array of foods such as green vegetables, nuts and seeds it is usually found in very small amounts. No single food would typically provide a person their daily requirement of magnesium.

In general, most people do not suffer from a magnesium deficiency even though national nutrition surveys show that most Americans do not meet their daily requirement for the consumption of the mineral.

Groups that could benefit from a magnesium supplement include the elderly and persons that do not consume a complete and balanced diet.

Too little magnesium in the diet raises the risk of heart disease, as severe deficiencies can cause irregular heartbeat. Deficiency can also raise the risk of developing diabetes, and may also cause confusion, fatigue, irritability, muscle spasms, and nervousness.

Too much magnesium in the diet can cause diarrhea and nausea in moderate cases, while severe side effects from extremely high doses can cause difficulty breathing, confusion, lethargy, heart beat irregularity, and muscle weakness.

Toxicity is extremely rare since the kidneys process and excrete any extra that is taken in, although those with kidney disease should not rely on this organ to function properly.

Caution: Taking a magnesium supplement can lower the effectiveness of tetracycline antibiotics, so be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking supplements containing this mineral while being administered this type of antibiotic.

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